I live in Delaware County, New York about an hour from Binghamton. And we have cougars here. At least I have been told so by many people. I have never seen them personally but we for sure have bobcats...
Be very careful as lions will feed on people, plenty of California joggers and cyclists have found out the hard way. See if anyone has a hound pack in your area, often hounds will let you know for sure what you are dealing with especially if they tree it!